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Sierra Club People:
Shannon Harps, In Memoriam
On December 31, 2007, Shannon Harps, a 31-year-old Associate Regional Representative in the Sierra Club's Seattle, Washington Northwest Office, was killed near her apartment in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Details of the incident are not well known; police are investigating. The Sierra Club's deepest condolences go out to her family and friends; we will miss her dearly.
Shannon was a friend to many. Her love of the outdoors inspired her work at the Club, and her many adventures in nature demonstrated it - backpacking in Alaska, kayaking the Everglades, she was planning a trip to Patagonia. In her quiet way, she climbed mountains, and, as an activist, she moved mountains. She enjoyed getting people involved in environmental issues like sprawl, forest protection, climate change, and Shannon particularly liked her work with high school students.
Shannon joined the Sierra Club's Northwest Regional Office in 2003, moving from Ohio, where she was born and worked for the Club in Columbus. In her career with the Sierra Club, Shannon lead efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Washington's Wild Sky wildnerness and, most lately, working to get cities signed onto Seattle Mayor Nickels' U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. Shannon was committed, hardworking, an ardent believer in a future where the air is clean and our communities are healthy. What she found most rewarding was the relationships with Sierra Club volunteers, community members, politicians, and others. Shannon really spent time getting to know people. She valued their stories and ideas. She touched many people's lives; many will be saddened to hear of her untimely death.
Memorial website:
People can leave their stories, memories, and thoughts for Shannon's family on her memorial website. You can also find out more about Shannon on the Cascade Chapter website or in this Seattle Post-Intelligencer article